Good for an honorable mention?
You’ll notice this is not exactly a pair of socks, but it is two socks, and they’re both finished and photographed now that the Closing Ceremonies are beaming into my living room.
Up front is a Philosopher’s House Sock, my first foray into Cat Bordhi’s New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I made some adjustments for a finer gauge, knitting on US #3’s, and lengthened the leg to accommodate my mother’s wish for a taller sock. I also ripped the heel out twice and ended up bodging together a peculiar narrow hybrid heel that I’m not at all certain I can duplicate for Sock Two. I don’t know if it was because I was glued to the thrilling swim relays or what, but I kept thinking I was following Cat’s instructions (anyone else feel like they need to pull a Magic Decoder Ring out of a cereal box to make sense of this book?) and winding up with wonkiness. And not the same wonkiness, either – Heel 1 was sloppy and wide; Heel 2 was queerly pointed. So for Heel 3 I put the instructions aside and tried to apply my own bag of Sock Heel tricks. I got something that works, and Mum and I have narrow heels anyway.
You probably want to know what the yarn is. Me, too. I’ve mislaid the ball band. It’s a sock-weight merino I picked up from a hand-dyer at Madrona last winter, and it’s dyed with indigo, which turned my fingers and needles blue, but I love it. Mum picked it out of the stash herself, so I already know she loves it, too.
ETA: A clever reader helped solve the mystery: this is Butternut Woolens Super Sock Yarn. Alas, the little Oregon family farm that was Butternut Woolens has had to be sold this summer, and the yarn is no more. My heart aches for Shelly, who’s had to give up her dream and her lifestyle, and I’m wishing I’d bought more from her. I know rationally that I couldn’t have made the difference in the success of her little business, but go forth and support your local farmers if you possibly can, y’hear?
Lurking in the background there is a sock I can’t tell you about quite yet. It’s a surprise to me, too. The design emerged from my head all by itself, and the construction came together beautifully – thank goodness, since the week I had to get it done didn’t leave much room for error. I hope the Sock Clubbers like it – these knitters are taking it on faith that they’ll get pretty yarn and an attractive pattern. I can happily report the yarn is lovely, and I do think I’ve done my best to showcase it in my design. Now it’s off to the tech editor and the photographer so it can land in people’s mailboxes right quick. I’m off to cast a final eye over the charts before I send them in.
It’s been quite an Olympics; they’ve been perfectly timed for me, with the intensive knitting I had to accomplish. But the incredible athletics I’ve watched have also made me want to get off the couch. I want to take advantage of what’s left of the summer weather. So if there’s just a little less knitting to show off here, you’ll understand that I’m out trying to attend to the parts of my body that aren’t my fingers. (Or that my workload has swallowed me whole. It’s a possibility. I really think I’m working on the most enjoyable math textbook ever written, but creating the diagrams, number lines, and equations is a whale of a project.)
Posted: August 25th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I can’t believe you managed a sock (and a Cat Bordhi, no less) through the swim finals! I could barely keep track of my flat stockinette. The socks are both beautiful.
Is the yarn for the Mystery Sock available to knitters outside the Sock Club?
Posted: August 25th, 2008 at 8:14 am
they were great olympics! i can see why you were glued to the screen! all in all, the first sock came out great! i hope you can figure out what you did for sock #2 🙂
Posted: August 25th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I think this was one of the more inspirational and interesting Olympics in a long time! And hey – you knit two socks, even if they aren’t a pair!
Posted: August 25th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
You’re definitely not alone, getting so wrapped up in the Olympics! The sock is great! Honorable mention, for sure!
Posted: August 25th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
That sock is gorgeous–such rich color! Worth some tainted fingers and needles, right? Good luck deciphering your work for sock 2 and enjoy your exercise! 🙂
Posted: August 25th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Ooo, which sock club is the pattern for? There’s so many clubs out there! 🙂
Posted: August 25th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Those are great socks! An honorable mention, for sure. : )
Posted: August 26th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Is the yarn from Butternut Wool, or Butternut, something. Oh, she had really pretty indigo yarns, the blues, greens and yellows? I coveted her yarns. If I remember correctly she is an Oregon based dyer.
Posted: August 26th, 2008 at 4:42 am
The socks look amazing. Congrats.
Posted: August 26th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
It comforts me to read that someone has been as busy this summer as I am. I hope you can get outdoors and enjoy the last of the nice weather! I’m trying to come up with a regular riding program (bicycle? what bicycle?) but have not done well so far. And cyclocross season is upon us!
Posted: August 28th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Heaving a heavy sigh of relief…
Thank goodness a better knitter than me has also had, er, “issues” with the Cat Borhdi book. I was helplessly lost while trying to follow some of her diagrams, until I gave up and just did what I thought made sense. Being a designer, I find it rather ironic that devices meant to help a process makes it more difficult to understand. Of course, I didn’t manage to make anything more than the initial baby test sock as I was so discouraged by my frustrations with the pattern. I assumed it was due to my total lack of knowledge/experience with sock knitting… thanks for letting me know that I wasn’t the only one.
Posted: August 31st, 2008 at 3:08 am
well the sock looks great, and i wish you much luck figuring out the heel for #2, cos that sock really needs a #2.